THE FIRST PRINCIPLES

Expanded 21^st Century Edition

Hebrews 5:12

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter 2:2,3

A Practical Bible Study

and Discipleship Course

For New Christians

An Educational Ministry of

Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Post: 29 Westcourt Heights
Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland

Telephone: (021) 487-1234 Int’l: ++353-21-487-1234

E-Mail
Web: www.biblebc.com

1995-2001 Craig Ledbetter’s In-House Publications - Printed in Ireland
European, Expanded Edition, A501
Eighth Edition Printing May, 2001

All Scripture references, unless otherwise noted are from the

AV 1611 King James Bible

This Study is copyrighted, 1993-2001. But any portion of this Study may be copied in part, or in its entirety without the written permission of the publisher (Romans 13:7 ) as long as there is no charge.

Pastor Craig Ledbetter, Bible Baptist Church of Ballincollig, Post: 29 Westcourt Heights,
Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. Tel: +353-21-487-5142 E-Mail
On the Web at www.iol.ie/~craigled/ or www.biblebc.com
US Address: PO Box 849, Rossville, GA 30741 USA

STUDY INTRODUCTION

1. In John 18, the Lord Jesus is standing before Pilate, accused of being a King. Jesus tells Pilate that He IS a King, but not of this world, and that His design is not to set up a physical kingdom, but to declare the ______.

2. Pilate responds, “What is _______?” But notice what Pilate does next. He does not wait around for the answer. He does not believe there is any such thing as “truth.” It is the same with most people. They have been lied to so many times about Santa, the tooth fairy, and Easter bunnies they think that God and truth are only lies as well.

3. Yet, in John 17:17, Jesus Himself says God’s ___________ is truth! Now, either Jesus was a liar, or crazy, or telling the truth. Which is it?

1. There must be something, somewhere, that is true. Because, without truth, there is no way of knowing what is really true or false, good or bad, right or wrong; and anyone's guess becomes as good as another's.

A. It was written that we may “________” that Jesus was who He said He was - the Messiah, the Son of God, who came to pay our sin-debt (John 20:31).

B. It was also written, so that we may “________” that we have eternal life (1John 5:13), not just “hope” for it!

A. This Study will teach you the wonderful truths of God's word, so you can _____ to "perfection" or full maturity in Christ (1Peter 2:2,3 ; 2Peter 3:18).

B. To do this, you are going to have to develop in yourself the following life principles by reading, and learning from God’s word daily (see 2Peter 1:4-8 )

Faith (you start off with this at salvation) Patience (waiting on God & through trials)

Virtue (the inner strength to do right) Godliness (becoming more like Christ)

Knowledge (knowledge of Jesus Christ) Brotherly kindness (towards people)

Temperance (keeping a right balance) Charity (having unconditional love)

The Bible finishes in verse 8 by saying, "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren or unfruitful." That is what God wants - spiritual fruitfulness and success as a real Christian!

A. Along side your Bible. Never put anything above the authority of the word of God. Use tools to help your Bible study, but never let them take its place!

B. Pray for guidance before each study. God left you a copy of His word (Psalm 68:11; Matthew 24:35), and will guide you through it (John 16:13).

C. Look up the verses listed. Keep reading each verse listed until you are satisfied that you understand the Bible's instruction on each topic.

V. Memorize the four main Memory Verses listed. These will help establish your faith in the promises of the Bible! They are located at the beginning of each of the four Sections of this Study. They are Matthew 4:4, Hebrews 10:25, 1 Corinthians 12:27, and Romans 12:11.

VII. Suggestions For Reading Your Bible. Realize that the Bible is a book. It is not a magical good-luck charm. It was written to be read with human eyes, and tested by the human mind, and believed by the human heart. The method of reading the Bible is very simple. Here just a few suggestions to get you going.

A. Listen. Start with a determination to “listen” to what is written. When you approach the Bible, seek to hear what the words are saying. Let God talk freely as if He were right beside you.

B. Pray. Praying is asking. So, ask God to grant unto you the true understanding of His word. There is no interpreter of the word of God except the Author of the word, God Himself (1 Corinthians 2:10-13 ).

C. Read from Beginning to End. You will never get the meaning of ANY book unless you read it from cover to cover. For the first time, you should start in Matthew, and read through to Revelation. After that, then go to Genesis, and start all over, and read all the way through to the end!

D. Read with the Heart, and not just the Mind. The Bible is perfect and quite capable of being examined by the mind, but was written for the heart.

E. Read it Daily. Set aside a regular time every day to spend in God’s word.

F. Read it Obediently. Read the Bible with the goal of doing what you find commanded to be done. God says in James 1:22 that we are to "be ________ of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves."

G. Read the Scriptures Contextually. Allow the Scriptures to explain themselves. A sentence is always understood within the meaning of the surrounding sentences. Find out who is speaking, who are they speaking to, and, what are they talking about.